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See our new website at research.ict.csiro.au Airhockey Over a DistanceThis page reports on work carried out from 2005 - 2006. Introducing strangers through fast social game playNEWS: Airhockey Over a Distance was featured at CeBIT Australia! (more mentions in News)
Airhockey Over a Distance is played like a conventional airhockey game. However, the table is split in half and the two ends are connected via a network. The players can see and hear each other at all times. They shoot a real puck back and forth, trying to score a goal. Once the puck passes the midway-line, its location is detected, and a corresponding physical puck is shot out at the other table. Airhockey Over a Distance consists of two physically separate halves of an airhockey table. The player is recorded by a camera and the video is displayed on the screen of the other player, creating the illusion of playing together on one table.  We believe the physicality of the game combined with its fast pace makes a compelling experience that facilitates an increased connectedness between the remote players. The physical and powerful action of hitting a real puck, its transformation into the virtual space and its physical reappearance on the remote end contribute towards the perception of a mutual space in which the players interact. We believe this physical interaction is better than a virtual one in introducing remote staff members who would otherwise never meet and thus increases the likelihood of them collaborating on distributed projects in the future.
Publications
Airhockey Over a Distance CHI 06, Montreal. Airhockey Over a Distance Poster CHI 06, Montreal. Airhockey Over a Distance – Connecting People Through Physical Casual Game Play Pergames 06, Dublin. Airhockey Over a Distance – A Networked Physical Game to Support Social Interactions ACE Advances in Computer Entertainment 06, Hollywood. Video
In the NewsNice video of Airhockey Over a Distance at CeBIT Australia on the official CeBIT Australia Blog Article in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age (Melbourne) Article on Airhockey Over a Distance at CeBIT Australia in the Sydney Morning Herald Image of Airhockey Over a Distance at CeBIT Australia on cnet.com PCauthority reported on CeBIT Australia and mentions Airhockey Over a Distance Section on Airhockey Over a Distance in the CeBIT Newsletter We were also interviewed about Airhockey Over a Distance on 3AW Radio, Melbourne, Australia and featured in The Australian newspaper. |
More informationDr Ken Taylor
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Videoconferencing is designed for coworkers who have met in person
and want to work together remotely. It falls short, however, in
introducing people, and does not account for the complex interaction
patterns humans engage in when they meet for the first time. Airhockey
Over a Distance aims to introduce people over a distance by utilizing
the social power of a quick, casual game that can be played in the
social spaces like canteens of distributed enterprises.
